Dictators are allergic to reform, and they are cunning survivors. They will do whatever it takes to preserve their power and wealth, no matter how much blood ends up on their hands. They are master deceivers and talented manipulators who… — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
Unlike their Western counterparts, Africans take elections very seriously - rising up early to queue patiently in line for hours under the hot sun and cast their ballots. Any misguided attempt to nullify or steal their votes will evoke a… — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
There was free trade in Africa. There was free enterprise in Africa before the colonialists came. — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
Hippos kill more people in Africa annually than any other wild animal. — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
Look at the history of peace accords in Africa. They have a terrible record. They are shredded even before the ink on them is… — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
The richest persons in Africa are heads of state, governors and ministers. So every 'educated' African who wants to be rich - and there… — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
Back in the 1960s Africa not only fed itself, it also exported food. Not anymore. — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
Just because a group does not take its decisions by voting does not mean they have no understanding of the essence of democracy. — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
Africa's salvation doesn't lie in begging and begging for more aid, and as an African, I find it very, very humiliating. — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
African history is filled with experiences of people shooting their way to power and then splintering into factions, like in Somalia and Liberia. — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
Dictators cause the world's worst problems: all the collapsed states, and all the devastated economies. All the vapid cases of corruption, grand theft, and… — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
Getting rid of the dictator is only a first step in establishing a free society. The dictatorship must also be disassembled. — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
If NATO goes in and solves the crisis in Darfur, when the next one comes along Africa's leaders will just sit back. — George Ayittey Copy Share Image
